Service
Safety Checks
An honest, top-to-bottom inspection of your pier — boards, joists, pilings, railings, hardware, ladders, and cleats. You get plain-language findings, photos, and a prioritized fix list. No scare tactics.
Leave a phone number or email — no account needed.
What's included
- Walk-the-pier inspection of all deck boards, joists, and stringers
- Above- and below-waterline piling condition check
- Railing height, baluster spacing, and post-attachment review
- Fastener and hardware corrosion assessment
- Ladder, cleat, and dockline anchoring check
- Written report with photos and priority ratings (safe / monitor / fix now)
Why hire a specialist
Maryland waterfront work is not the same as a backyard deck. Saltwater, tides, and regulated tidal zones punish shortcuts. Here's what we bring that a general handyman doesn't:
- We know where Maryland piers actually fail — the waterline ring on pilings, the ledger on the bulkhead, and the splash zone on stringers.
- We don't sell scary findings to drum up work — every report includes what's fine and can wait.
- We measure to IRC code (rail heights, baluster spacing, ledger attachment) so your pier holds up to insurance and inspection scrutiny.
- We photograph and document everything — useful for insurance claims after storms and for real-estate disclosures.
- Specialist eyes catch hairline rot, fastener pullout, and piling washout that homeowners and general inspectors routinely miss.
- Local, year-round on the Bay — we know how these piers age in this specific water.
Maryland building & environmental standards
Work in and over Maryland tidal waters is governed by overlapping state, county, and federal rules. We build to these so your pier passes inspection and survives the Bay.
IRC R312 — Guards & Railings
Residential structures more than 30 inches above the surface below need 36-inch guards with balusters spaced so a 4-inch sphere can't pass through. We measure every section.
IRC R507 — Deck Structural
Joist span tables, ledger attachment, and post-to-beam connections all come from R507. We compare what's actually built to what the load case requires.
MDE Tidal Wetlands Authorization
If our inspection finds structural issues that require below-water-line work, we flag the MDE Tidal Wetlands process (COMAR 26.24) so you know up front what permitting will look like.
Critical Area Disclosure (COMAR 27.01)
Most Maryland waterfront properties sit inside the 1,000-ft Chesapeake Bay Critical Area. Repairs and replacements have different thresholds for review — we tell you which side of the line each finding lands on.
Insurance & Disclosure
Maryland sellers must disclose known material defects. A documented inspection gives you proof of due diligence — and gives buyers and insurers something to actually trust.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers — Section 10
Structural work in navigable Maryland waters can trigger federal Section 10 review. We identify when an issue is repair-in-kind versus permit-required so you're not surprised mid-job.
Informational only — actual permit requirements vary by county and specific site conditions. We coordinate with MDE and your local permitting office on every job that needs it.
Our process
- 01
Schedule a 60–90 minute on-site inspection at low tide where possible.
- 02
Walk the pier, photograph findings, and measure to code.
- 03
You get a written report within 48 hours.
- 04
Optional follow-up estimate to fix anything flagged — no pressure.
Ready to talk about your pier?
Leave a phone number or email and we'll reach out within one business day to schedule a free on-site look.